Electronic Engineering Technology

Evaluating Resources

The Internet contains millions of web pages and more information than a single person could ever process. People are very reliant on digital content for their news and entertainment. When people get their information from online news outlets, social media, and online publications, it can be difficult to identify biased or inaccurate sources. You may need to review multiple sources to confirm information, or seek out original sources to verify information. 

Strategies to Evaluate Information Sources

• Consider the source, what is its mission? What other sites link or point to it?
• Read past the headline, go further into the content
• Assess the author's credibility. What organization do they represent? Are they involved in any interest groups? Is the author an expert on the subject matter being discussed?
• Examine the links and sources supporting the article. Does the linked content support the article?
• Check the date the information was published
• What is the purpose of the information? Is it satirical or facts based?
• Is the source promotional or advertising?
• Check for bias (including your own!)
• Search other sources to confirm the information is supported elsewhere

You can also evaluate information based on:

Author or creator's authority

• Who is the author and/or owner of the site?
• Does the author have authority and expertise in the area?
• What is the link's domain, .edu, .gov, or .com?
• Are references or related links available?

How accurate is the information?

• Can you verify the information on the site elsewhere?
• Is there a list of sources or references?
• Has accuracy been proven through a review process?

What is the purpose or reason the information was created or is being shared?

• What is the purpose of the information? Is it fact, opinion, selling something?
• Is there advertising on the site, or is something being sold?

How current is the information? 

• When was the site last updated? Is a copyright date available? 
• Do the links work?
• Is the information up to date for your research?

How relevant is the content or resource?

• Is there enough coverage of the topic?  
• Does the information support the research you have already found?
• Are links provided to find more information?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources?

The Internet and the Library make it is easy to find information, but it is more difficult to identify sources you can rely on. Evaluate your sources carefully to ensure you've selected material that is trustworthy and appropriate for your assignment.

Scholarly Academic Publications

• Written by an expert in the field of study (an academic or trained specialist)
• Date of publication is provided
• Publisher may be Colleges/Universities, professional associations, scholarly publishers + research institutes
• Purpose of the article or publication is to report on experiments, theories, case studies + other research
• Editing is conducted through the peer review process, by experts in the field
• Sources are used in the author's research are cited in a reference list or footnotes

Popular Publications

• Written by those without expertise in the field (a member of the public or journalist) or no author is stated
• Popular publications, especially WWW publications, often do not give a date of publication
• Published by commercial for-profit publishers or members of the public
• Purpose of the publication is to sell advertised products, inform, promote a point of view or entertain
• Review of content is by a generalist (a magazine editor) or no review
• Sources are rarely cited or are inaccurate Other Accurate spelling + grammar, few advertisements, logical + well written Spelling + grammar errors may occur, many advertisements, poor or variable writing quality